“On June 21, a new podcast appeared on several Chinese and American podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts,” writes Shen Lu of Politico. The Mandarin-language show, In-Betweenness, is made by four academics that discuss race in America and across the world. It’s one part of a small, courageous movement toward globally conscious free expression.
“In-Betweenness marks a new trend in the Chinese media landscape. All media in China, state and commercial, is closely monitored and heavily censored pre- and post-publishing,” Lu explains. With the power of RSS feeds, independent podcasters are building “a kind of third information channel” for honest conversations about racial justice.
One of these, Loud Murmurs, is planning a three-episode series in light of the Black Lives Matter movement. Co-host Isabelle Niu tells Lu, “We got a lot of comments like, ‘Wow. I’ve never heard four women talk about politics in a way that’s so uninhibited. I think just the idea that you can express yourself without fear, even that is very encouraging to people.”
The New York Times confirms the acquisition of Serial Productions for “about $25 million.” The company behind the megahit podcast pioneer Serial was founded in 2017 by Sarah Koenig, Julie Snyder, and Ira Glass. Rachel Abrams writes that a “creative and strategic” partnership with This American Life is part of the deal.
“The idea is to drive New York Times readers and listeners toward Serial projects,” Abrams quotes Sam Dolnick, an editor of The Times’ audio efforts. “There’s going to be ways that we can help Serial tell more stories, bigger stories and, down the road, figure out how our newsroom and theirs can coordinate even more deeply.”
Rumors of the arrangement have circulated since early spring. In The Verge, Nick Statt explains, “The parent company of This American Life will remain independent, but Serial Productions will now be considered one of The Times’ independent podcast teams alongside the hugely successful The Daily and other programs.”
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